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AFP investigation reveals US employs pressure tactics—visa restrictions, trade threats, financial incentives—to compel African nations accepting expelled migrants.
An AFP investigation has documented systematic US pressure on African nations to accept expelled migrants under the Trump administration's third-country deportation framework. This pressure accompanies the bilateral agreements already established with countries including Cameroon, Palau, Eswatini, and Liberia, which have collectively received approximately 25,000 expelled individuals.
The US employs visa restrictions and trade threats to compel African nations to participate in the expulsion program, according to the investigation. These coercive measures operate alongside financial incentives—Cameroon received $430 million for accepting expelled individuals, while Palau accepted 75 people for $7.5 million.
The pressure campaign occurs amid documented procedural gaps in the expulsion framework. Deportees to Liberia report being expelled without advance notice or hearing opportunities, reflecting the legal void surrounding expelled individuals who lack formal rights protections or recourse mechanisms. The Office of Remigration, funded with $410 million, coordinates these international arrangements while the Supreme Court prepares to hear constitutional challenges in December 2026.
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US leverage mechanisms reshape African diplomatic and economic relationships
The AFP investigation reveals visa restrictions and trade threats as primary pressure mechanisms, operating alongside financial incentives ranging from $7.5 million to $430 million. These tools create asymmetrical dynamics where African nations face enforceable economic and diplomatic consequences for non-compliance with expulsion agreements. The coordinated pressure strategy demonstrates how the US bilateral framework extends beyond traditional diplomatic negotiation into coercive economic leverage.
African countries navigate diplomatic pressure amid expulsion obligations
African nations including Cameroon, Palau, Eswatini, and Liberia have agreed to receive expelled individuals under pressure from US visa restrictions and trade threats. Cameroon received $430 million while Palau accepted 75 individuals for $7.5 million, establishing compensation models reflecting negotiated capacity. These arrangements demonstrate how receiving nations manage competing pressures between maintaining US diplomatic and economic relations and managing domestic absorption of expelled populations.